Border officials are said to have difficulty distinguishing between the illegal immigrants and genuine passport holders because Sikh men are allowed to wear turbans in their ID documents

Hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers snuck into the UK using British Sikhs' passports - because turbans on their photos meant border officials couldn't spot the difference.

Border officials are said to have difficulty distinguishing between the illegal immigrants and genuine passport holders because Sikh men are allowed to wear turbans in their ID documents.

Today three Sikh men Daljit Kapoor, 41, Harmit Kapoor, 40, and Davinder Chawla, 42, admitted running a scam providing Sikhs from the war-torn country with passports of family members who most looked like them so they could pass themselves off as British citizens.

Around 30 people from the same Afghans Sikh community are said to have successfully claimed asylum after paying the trio £12,000 per family to enter the UK.

But the authorities believe there may be hundreds more as the scam is believed to have gone on for a number of years undetected.

The three will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court later this month for their part in the smuggling racket.

A gang member would drive to Paris with genuine passports of family members and hand them over to men, women and children so they could get through airport security.

Once in the country the gang retrieved the passports and reused them with new groups and families.

The gang is also understood to have operated from Thailand.

It was not until easyJet staff noticed something was wrong and alerted French authorities that the conspiracy was unearthed.

In June 2014 Chawla drove to France and boarded a flight with around 11 Afghan Sikhs, making up three families, but were stopped when they entered the UK.

Edward Aydin, prosecuting at an earlier hearing at Camberwell Magistrates' Court, said: 'We say these three men are the facilitators in this organisation, this organised crime, where they are using genuine British passport holders within the Sikh community.

'It's a Sikh conspiracy and it's occurring because it's very difficult for the authorities at the border control to distinguish who's who on the passports.'

Outside court a legal source said: 'They would get the passports of their relatives and marry them up with the asylum seekers who most looked like them, obviously the beards and turbans made it easier.

'But it was also the women and children as well, whole families were being brought in.

'And once they are here, because they from Afghanistan and are claiming to be persecuted by the Taliban, they can't be sent back.

'They have been doing this for a long time, probably years, and have made a hell of a lot of money doing it, charging around £12,000 per family.

'We don't know for how long because they way they did it is virtually undetectable, there are probably hundreds of people who have come into the country this way that his group have helped.

'It was only when easyJet staff noticed something was wrong and alerted French authorities that we found out about it.'

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The three will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court later this month for their part in the smuggling racket

Both Kapoors, of Hounslow, who are cousins, and Chawla, of Isleworth, who is also a member of the same extended family, appeared at Inner London Crown Court and sat in the dock alongside two interpreters.

As their trial was about to start, three of the defendants pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to help asylum seekers to enter the UK illegally between May and June 2014.

Harmit Kapoor also admitted booking flights between June 8 and June 21, 2014, for the asylum seekers to get to Britain.

Chawla admitted hiring a vehicle to facilitate their entry into the country when he drove to Paris.

A fourth suspect, Joginder Dawan, 41, pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to help asylum seekers enter the UK and one charge of assisting the offence by allowing his passport to be used to book flights and travel.

Not guilty verdicts were recorded for both counts and he was discharged.

In February 2011 Chawla, along with four other men was jailed for five years for also helping illegal immigrants enter the country as part of an identical conspiracy.

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Guest Jacfsing2

Guest Jacfsing2

Well this says a lot on how some Non-Sikhs view on us. To some we all look the same apparently? Here's the thing, don't be going to countries illegally, and two don't steal someone else's passport, because Christians and Atheists wouldn't be able to tell a Sikh from each other.

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Well this says a lot on how some Non-Sikhs view on us. To some we all look the same apparently? Here's the thing, don't be going to countries illegally, and two don't steal someone else's passport, because Christians and Atheists wouldn't be able to tell a Sikh from each other.

Yes, its a bit like a white or a black man saying all chinese look the same to them and vice versa.

Also that prosecutor guy calls it a "sikh conspiracy" I find that highly offensive term to use as its generalizing and demonising the whole Sikh community. imagine if someone called something a jewish conspiracy in a legal court about something a few corrupt jews did like banking fraud or similar criminal activity as they are shown in news articles to part take in. The uproar that would create in the mainstream media would be huge.

I wonder what ideology or religion he subscribes to and how he would feel if someone defamed his community in those terms.

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Yes, its a bit like a white or a black man saying all chinese look the same to them and vice versa.

Also that prosecutor guy calls it a "sikh conspiracy" I find that highly offensive term to use as its generalizing and demonising the whole Sikh community. imagine if someone called something a jewish conspiracy in a legal court about something a few corrupt jews did like banking fraud or similar criminal activity as they are shown in news articles to part take in. The uproar that would create in the mainstream media would be huge.

I wonder what ideology or religion he subscribes to and how he would feel if someone defamed his community in those terms.

it was a minor case of three criminals with past form ...but it plays into the UK -India pact to defame sikhs ...frankly I think this is so dodgy , there are three checks going into the gate areas and one on the destination immigration desks , that's some serious lack of attention ...

Edited March 14, 2017 by jkvlondon

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Makes no sense whatsoever. How does a person suddenly become unrecognisable or indistinguishable from another simply by wearing a turban ON THE TOP of his/her head. All of a sudden we all look like clones?! The turban doesn't cover the facial features.

Usual BS bakwaas from BS stirring dailyBSmail. Urgh.

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Makes no sense whatsoever. How does a person suddenly become unrecognisable or indistinguishable from another simply by wearing a turban ON THE TOP of his/her head. All of a sudden we all look like clones?! The turban doesn't cover the facial features.

Usual BS bakwaas from BS stirring dailyBSmail. Urgh.

but interesting how it came out when the European verdict about external signs of religions can be banned by employers confirmed that employers have the right to ban them if it is warranted by a legimate internal rule.

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but interesting how it came out when the European verdict about external signs of religions can be banned by employers confirmed that employers have the right to ban them if it is warranted by a legimate internal rule.

Exactly! Dailymail is all focused on the turban. The prosecutor said the turban and beards made it easier but what about the women and children? Talking out of his backside. And wtfs a sikh conspiracy?! Bald &lt;banned word filter activated&gt;

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Im actually amritdhari, and Ive been told its okay to do that when necessary. Kinda like how some sikhs dressed up as jyotish pandits after they scared (in forms of lions) that muslim king to free our guru sahib ji.

under the extreme duress of war for the sake of victory or progression of the panth it is allowed. But of course Preeto would think that airport security is a hugely important battle where she must go undercover to infiltrate the fortress of air india, It's under really unique circumstances which can only really occur in wartime. Just have your photo taken with with a Dastaar in a simple colour and be done with it.

This whole fiasco reeks of lies, I really don't think airport security is that dim that they can't recognise one persons face from another purely because of a Dastaar/Phag.

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under the extreme duress of war for the sake of victory or progression of the panth it is allowed. But of course Preeto would think that airport security is a hugely important battle where she must go undercover to infiltrate the fortress of air india, It's under really unique circumstances which can only really occur in wartime. Just have your photo taken with with a Dastaar in a simple colour and be done with it.

This whole fiasco reeks of lies, I really don't think airport security is that dim that they can't recognise one persons face from another purely because of a Dastaar/Phag.

plus which afghani sikh woman have you seen with a dastaar...? yep it's a big crock of jungle

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Californiasardar
If it was a white guy with a hipster beard, and one of those manbuns, I can guarantee that the Sikh girls from clean-shaven families would be OK with that.
The problem is not really kesh and dastaar with some of our Sikh women, it is the perception of what they think it represents.
I know of Amritdhari and Keshdari men that have had no problem marrying Sikh girls from clean shaven families.
But these Amritdhari and Keshdari (not trimmed beard but proper beard) have had no problems attracting women.